Clark is the Owner/Forester/Contractor of Clark * Forestry Committee, Incorporated. He previously worked as a service forester/consultant with the Wisconsin Department of * Natural Resources Committee, and as a forest ecologist for the The Nature Conservancy.

He is a member of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, Forest Guild, National Wild Turkey Federation, Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association, and Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters.[1]

On his campaign site Clark listed a number of legislative priorities, including:[2]

Campaign finance reform - "We continue to believe in the democratic principle of one person-one vote. Yet Wisconsin’s regulation of campaign financing is not up the task of protecting that promise."

Affordable health care - "Since the federal government is failing to lead in one of the most pressing issues facing our country, Wisconsin must step up to ensure that every Wisconsin citizen has access to affordable, comprehensive health care."

Public education - "Wisconsin needs a complete reform of our primary school financing system. We need to fund schools using methods that will allow EVERY school district to meet our state’s own standards for adequacy in education."

Tax equity - "We need to reform business taxation in Wisconsin to ensure that everyone pays their fair share and that the burden of taxation is no longer falling unfairly on the backs of our property owners and middle class citizens."

Committee assignments

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Clark has been appointed to these committees:

About 24,000 signatures were filed against Olsen on April 18, seeking his recall. On May 23 the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board rejected Olsen's challenges to the petition and certified 22,207 signatures, clearing the way for a recall election to be held July 12.[4]

Clark said he is opposing Olsen because of his support for Gov. Scott Walker's Budget Repair Bill. Clark stated, "I had worked with Luther and respected him. I spoke to him and told him I hoped he'd try to find a compromise (but) at the end of the day he voted along with the rest of his colleagues. They voted without any debate and walked out. That was the night he stopped representing the people."[5]

In late May, Clark publicly challenged Olsen to at least three debates before the election. The Democratic Party released a statement on May 31 saying that Olsen has ignored the calls. Olsen's campaign manager, Jeff Weigand, called the accusation "ridiculous," adding that they had not received any calls or emails from Clark asking for debates.[6] On June 5, Olsen said he would be happy to debate his opponent, but as Clark had not yet filed nomination papers, it is premature to set up debates.[7] Clark released a statement on July 11 calling out Olsen for his failure to respond to requests for debates.[8]

GOP officials placed Rol Church on the ballot as a Democratic candidate, forcing a primary between Church and Clark, delaying the actual recall election by four weeks.[9]

Robert Forseth had filed to run as a "placeholder" Democrat.
Following the news that all six "fake" Democrats had turned in their final paperwork to get on the ballot to the GAB, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin announced that it would not be running their placeholder candidates in the recalls as they are no longer necessary. Party Chair Mike Tate explained, "The goal of the placeholder candidacies was to create an insurance policy against further Republican attempts to exploit the recall election schedule through dirty tricks and cynical plots."[10]

All three had filed nomination papers with a sufficient number of verified signatures.

Debates

Clark and Olsen have agreed to a series of debates taking place on three consecutive days from July 26-28, with a fourth being proposed. The first is being sponsored by the Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative, and will have no audience participation, but the public may suggest questions beforehand. The second will be put on by the Waupaca Area Chamber of Commerce, with the third sponsored by the League of Women Voters of the Ripon Area.[11]